Oil sump

The oil sump is an automotive application ripe for innovation -
particularly in metal replacement.

Oil sump

Oil sump

The oil sump is an automotive application ripe for innovation - particularly in metal replacement.

Akulon Ultraflow for oil sumps in the new Peugeot 508

The engine inside the Peugeot 508 features a sustainable oil sump that is 60% lighter, more sustainable and less expensive than before, while providing the mechanical performance essential for this demanding automotive application. How? With Akulon® – our high-flow, reinforced polyamide 6.

Not only is this 35% glass reinforced grade significantly lighter than traditional metal (and thus more fuel efficient), but it’s also heat stabilized, with very good flow properties. In fact Akulon offers up to 80% improved flow and a 40% reduction in injection molding cycle times, enabling thinner walls and more flexibility in product design - with no compromise on mechanical properties.

To prove the point, the new Peugeot oil sump passed a series of high-tech safety tests including curb impact, stone impact, and the engine drop test.

The result: We expect this to be the first of many commercial applications for Akulon in the demanding engine compartment and car body segments.

Akulon Ultraflow for high-end oil sumps

The oil sump is an automotive application ripe for innovation - particularly in metal replacement, where Mercedes and our tier 1 customer BBP Kunststoffwerk Marbach Baier have proved. The new Mercedes S-Class features a breakthrough oil sump made from our unique Akulon® Ultraflow polyamide 6: It weighs 50% less than its metal equivalent while meeting every performance criteria. Meeting the extreme performance demands of the oil sump is a challenge that we’ve met head-on with Akulon Ultraflow: This unique high flow, oil resistant, glass fiber-reinforced polyamide is unlocking major processing and performance benefits for our customers – without compromising mechanical performance.

Putting Akulon Uktraflow to the test

In the case of the Mercedes S-Class, our research team worked closely with BBP in Germany, subjecting the Akulon Ultraflow oil sump to a battery of demanding application tests, including vibration, stone impact, and an engine drop test.

The oil sump withstood everything, and is now in production, and we’re confident that more manufacturers will adopt this technology when they see the benefits it can deliver. Not only does the faster flow of Akulon Ultraflow equate to faster cycle times and less warpage; but because the material enables thinner wall thicknesses this means less material is needed – which in turn gives engineers more design freedom.

Next generation oil sump systems

And this is just the beginning for this key automotive application. In the coming years we expect to see the introduction of a hybrid oil pan integrated with the structurally loaded bed plate that carries loads from the transmission system…and we anticipate the entire module will be made entirely of thermoplastic parts, joined together using vibration welding techniques.